Lonely Planet Kids Books - Review and Giveaway

13:55
Pippa Ainsworth
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I've been a fan of Lonely Planet travel books for a long time, almost as long as I've been planning trips and, even today, their guide books are the first I reach for when visiting a new destination. Their mixture of genuine, honest experience of a place with all the facts and figures you need to know makes them a must-have in my book.

Bud was recently sent four books from their range of children's books to take a look at and we've very much enjoyed taking a look at them together. I'm pleased to see that the same quality of writing and reporting in the guidebook range is carried over to their junior collection and Bud has loved having some more grown up books to read and learn from.

Here's what Bud thought:

I thought I'd share Mum's perspective. As a Geography graduate I've always enjoyed exploring the world through books like atlases so I thought I would share my view on each (in the order that Bud covers them in the video).

The Travel Book - this is the sort of book I would have adored as a youngster. It's a hardback book which is gloriously illustrated and packed with interesting facts and figures about the countries of the world. It includes photos of landmarks. famous people, flags and lots more information. This is the sort of book that children can dip in and out of, perhaps to support a project at school, or to learn more about somewhere they have seen on TV or read about elsewhere. It really takes me back to the way I learned as a child - through looking things up in books instead of going immediately to Wikipedia. I'd say it's perfect for children of age 7+ to explore alone but Bud and I have loved reading it together since it arrived.

How to be an International Spy - this is the book that Bud has engaged with least since he arrived. It's simply too old for him but I've had a good look through it and it's a fascinating read. It's packed with stories of espionage and all the different techniques used by spies. There are lots of different activities included and it really is a comprehensive basic guide to spying. I think Bud will love this when he's around 9 so it's going to be back up on the shelf until then. He simply doesn't understand enough of the basics of what a spy is and why people spy to get anything from the book at the moment. My 12 year old nephew was looking at this book when he was round the other day and he really enjoyed it. It's a good read, with really engaging content, for older children.

Adventures Around the Globe - Bud loved this one, as I expected him to. He's a fan of sticker and activity books but we're usually stuck buying those character books which he's getting a little old for. This is a more grown up take on that style of book with full colour illustrations, colouring pages, stickers and puzzles. I loved it just as much as Bud. I think this would be a great book to keep children entertained on flights or long journeys, especially if their destination is featured in the book. I'm almost tempted to get the colouring pencils out and 'help' Bud with the colouring in. I'd say this one is perfect for Bud's age and above, 5+.

You Rule! - I thought that Bud would find this similar to the Spy book but he surprised me. We do try to expose him to the news carefully and to explain what is going on in the world in a gentle way. He's recently been asking about the refugee crisis and so has become quite familiar with the idea that there are wars and some people belong to one country and others to a different one, and some people can't stay in their country so move away. This book is subtitled 'create your own country' and we've been looking at it together. It's been really interesting to hear what Bud would do if he was in charge and, while a lot of the text goes over his head as it's geared towards older children, he is learning from it and is very interested when we look at it together.

Click through to view the full range of Lonely Planet Kids Books, the range is excellent and there's something for every child from age three and above. I can see a couple of the 'Adventures in...' sticker books making it on to Bud's Christmas List.

I've teamed up with Lonely Planet to offer one of my lucky readers the chance to win a fantastic bundle of their kids books. Whether a holiday treat or an extra gift (we can't guarantee delivery before Christmas) they are bound to delight your children. To enter the giveaway please complete the Gleam widget below. The blog post comment is compulsory and will unlock a range of additional entry options. Please read the terms and conditions.